The present invention relates to a modular counterline or desking system.
There are a host of businesses that provide service to a customer who deals across the counter with a service representative. The most well recognized counterline type systems are those used in banks, ticket counters, car rental counters, only to mention a few. These businesses have recognized that an effective counter system can assist them in providing service to the customer as well as contributing to the overall image of the company.
Banks, in particular, have recognized the need to be flexible with respect to their counterline to reflect changes in demographics of the area in which they serve as well as the times. In the past, most counterlines have been considered permanent, or at least did not readily accommodate changes in layout and configuration and, in most cases, were difficult to modify to the overall look and/or feel of the system. In many cases, the cost to change a system outweighed the perceived benefits and, therefore, the same image was maintained.
There remains a need to provide a flexible counterline system which can accommodate changes in configuration and can be broken down into individual modules, should changes and/or changes in location be necessary.
A counterline system, according to the present invention, comprises a series of individual modules which are adapted to be horizontally shiftable from an aligned position to a forwardly offset overlapping position to a rearwardly offset overlapping position. Each module includes a channel passageway across the module and side channel passageways extending to the front and extending at least partially along the sides of the module whereby wiring may be placed in the channel passageways to interconnect one module to adjacent modules.
According to an aspect of the invention, the counterline includes a counter top and a counter front wherein at least one of the counter top and the counter front are movable to an open position exposing the channel passageway and any wires or lines therein.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the channel passageway, in the open position of at least one of the counter top and counter front, allows wires and lines to be laid in place in the channel passageways without threading through ports in the counterline.
A counterline module, according to the present invention, comprises opposed side frames interconnected at a front edge by at least one channel member. The side frames include a side passage adapted to be closed along a side portion by either a cover secured to said side frame, or an aligned side frame or a combination of an aligned side frame and a cover.
According to an aspect of the invention, the counterline module has at least two side passages in each side frame open adjacent the front of the side frame to cooperate with the channel member. One of the side passages is at the approximate height of the channel member and the other passage being lower than the channel member whereby the wire can pass to the adjacent module at different heights.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention, the counterline module includes a vertically open space between the end of the channel and the front end of the side passages for accommodating wires passing from the channel to one of the passages.